Stray Cow

After signing all of the paperwork on my new apartment, I came back to my current apartment for a quick lunch and the previous, quick blog post. I then went back to my new apartment because I wanted to do some cleaning. Everything in the apartment is fresh and clean, but it's always nice to give an extra scrub to the bathroom and kitchen, because then I know that I'm cleaning it my way. And, naturally, it will be perfect. On my way back from my new place to my current place, I was driving along the "country" road. Really, I'm not living in the middle of nowhere. It's just a road where there is a lot of open space and where people have a lot of land. It was probably old farming land at one point, but some people still have horses and cows and such. Earlier in the afternoon, when I was on my way to the new place, there was a cow standing by the fence near the road. It is pretty much just a wire-type of fence, and the cow was scratching her chin along the wires. A few hours later, when I was leaving and driving back to my current place, the cow was now on the other side of the fence and standing on the shoulder eating the grass along the side of the road. Fortunately the cow wasn't walking in the road, but what in the world are you supposed to do when a cow gets out of her pen??

I wonder how often this happens? I wonder if it will ever happen when I'm trying to commute to work? Yeah, sorry I'm late, boss, but there was a cow in the road and I couldn't get around her...

Current mood: relaxed...and excited
Current music: iTunes on shuffle - Beth Waters "Sweaters"
Current drink: Barq's Root Beer

Near Death Experiences (not my own) and Strange Sights

Near Death Experiences: This was a fairly quiet weekend where all I did was run some errands, do some shopping, and try to clean my apartment. I was out Sunday driving down 30th Street with nothing but green lights ahead of me. Even though my lights were green, some woman was crossing the street at an intersection up ahead. In Boulder it's not unusual for people to jaywalk or to cross the street against the light if no traffic is coming. Most people, however, follow their mothers' rule that you should look both ways before crossing the street. This particular woman, however, was crossing the street while looking down at her phone. As I got closer to her, it looked like she was text messaging someone. She was fixated on her phone, didn't look up, and didn't notice anything that was going on around her. Naturally, realizing that I potentially had an idiot on my hands, I didn't slow down too much. Hey, someone needs to scare her so that she learns a lesson and doesn't end up being someone else's roadkill! And I'm perfectly content letting that person be me! I didn't really slow down until I got near the intersection, and she finally looked up and saw my little silver car coming toward her like a bullet. She had a "surprised" look on her face when she saw me, then she looked up and realized that she was walking against a red light. She rolled her eyes, shook her head, then scurried across the remaining lanes of the street. I like to assume that she shook her head because she realized how stupid she was. I can only hope. And, don't worry, even though I was coming toward her like a speeding bullet, I definitely would have been able to stop in time. And even if I did run her over (oops), then that would simply have proven Darwin's theory.

Strange Sights: What are you supposed to think when you go to Target and the person in line in front of you is buying nothing but a 24-pack of toilet paper and two cans of air freshener? I don't know, but it certainly makes you think, doesn't it?

Clothes That Fit and the Dangers of Sidewalks

Clothes That Fit: So I know that the style for many guys these days is to wear baggy pants and pants that sometimes "sag" a little on the hips. Well, some guys tend to take it to the extreme. Here is a tip: if you pants fall down when you run, you should probably buy a smaller size or wear a belt. I was on my way to work this morning and I was waiting at a red light. A guy started to run across the crosswalk, probably trying to beat the light that was about to change. His speed and progress were seriously impeded when his pants fell down around his knees. What followed next was a brief stumble and a near fall as he sort of waddled like a penguin while he struggled to pull up his pants. Fortunately his boxers stayed up around his waist, but, still, that was an odd sight at 7:30 a.m.

The Danger of Sidewalks: I'm not sure if there is something wrong with the sidewalks and streets around Boulder, or if the quality of skateboarding this year has gotten worse. On several occasions over the past few weeks, I've seen skateboarders crash for no apparent reason. They're going along their merry way, then they go one way and their skateboard goes another way. A few times the skateboards rolled dangerously close to the street, and one actually did roll into the street and was run over by a Super Shuttle and shattered into a million pieces.

Weather, Transporting Kayaks, and Big Men and Little Dogs

Weather: I just realized that it has been a long time since I've given the weather report. It's been hot, very hot, here in Boulder. It's hot to such a degree that it would be nice to sit in a bathtub full of ice water...or cold beer... But at least it is a dry heat, as they always say. I checked the weather reports for New York and temperatures when I'm there should be in the 80s with humidity around 60%. After living in Colorado for five years, I don't like humidity that much. It is also supposed to rain a few days when I'm in New York. Hopefully I can buy an umbrella in the hotel or somewhere near the hotel. I love walking in the rain, but not when I have to go to the office. It probably wouldn't be nice to sit in a meeting with drenched hair and clothes.

Transporting Kayaks: With all of the outdoors people here in Colorado, you think that anyone would know how to transport a kayak. Most people have roof racks and they simply tie the kayak down. Any smart person knows that the kayak should probably run the length of the car. But while I was out today I actually saw one idiot who, for whatever reason, tied the kayak across the width of the car. The ends of the kayak (I'm sure there is a word more technical than "end") were sticking out over the sides of the car like wings. Naturally no one wanted to get near this guy. I honestly want to know what made this guy think that what he did was a good idea...

Big Men and Little Dogs: Sometimes you can't help but to put certain impressions, images, or stereotypes in your head. You would think that big guys would like big dogs. While I was out today (again), I saw a sight that proved that theory wrong. I saw a guy walking a dog. This was a big guy. If he was a football player, I'd guess that he was a linebacker or a free safety. He was tall and full of muscles. You would think that he would have a big dog like a Great Dane. Nope. He was walking a little chihuahua that looked like it could probably fit in one of his hands. Just the sight of this giant man and this tiny dog made me smile.

The floor of my apartment is covered with page proofs, so I guess I better get back to work...

Twilight Zone

So while having my coffee and breakfast this morning, I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across TV Land. For some odd reason this morning, they were showing Basic Instinct. This is a movie that is all about sex, murder, and mystery, and although I have no real objection to sex, murder, and mystery, it is just odd to see it on TV Land. This is the channel that shows things like the Andy Griffith Show, The Brady Bunch, Star Trek, Green Acres, and I Love Lucy. Maybe I've been living under a rock, and maybe they usually show random movies like Basic Instinct. It's just odd to be watching Basic Instinct and then see a commercial for "coming up next, Bonanza."

Wish I Had My Camera

Earlier I was doing some shopping in an area where there happens to be an Arby's restaurant. When I was leaving, I glanced over and noticed that a truck towing a horse trailer pulled into the parking lot behind Arby's. Fortunately the horse was still in the trailer, otherwise you might start to wonder.